The use of ceiling panels, particularly but not exclusively for decoration, is well known. Ceiling panels are typically composed of sheet metal with an embossed decorative pattern or of non-metallic material, such as asbestos or cellulose-like materials. The non-metallic ceiling panels have many deficiencies. Consequently metal ceiling panels, particularly those fabricated of tin, are preferred. However, the installation of metal ceiling panels presents challenges.
Most non-suspended ceilings are constructed of sheetrock. Traditionally metal ceiling panels have been installed, that is, affixed to the ceiling, by using nails at the corners or at the perimeter of each individual ceiling panel. However, due to the nature of the composition of sheetrock, nails cannot adequately affix metal ceiling panels to sheetrock due to the inability of nails to adequately grip and hold firmly to the sheetrock and the resultant tendency of the nails to slip-out of overhead sheetrock over a period of time, thereby releasing the panels from the ceiling, which of course is most undesirable.
Consequently, the traditional approach to installing metal ceiling panels to sheetrock ceilings is to first install a plywood surface over the entire sheetrock ceiling, and to then subsequently nail each of the metal ceiling panels into the thusly installed plywood. This is a labor intensive, time consuming and costly installation procedure.
An alternative but equally undesirable approach is to install wooden strips on the sheetrock ceiling, and to then nail each of the metal ceiling panels into the wood strips. With this approach, it is essential for the wood strips to be aligned very carefully to assure that the strips do in fact align with the edges of the panels as they are installed. Although easier than covering an entire sheetrock ceiling with plywood prior to installation of metal ceiling panels, this wooden strip approach is also still a very a labor intensive, time consuming and costly installation procedure.
In addition, metal ceiling panels traditionally have been installed by being placed side-by-side with each other, without any interlocking mechanism to attach adjoining ceiling panels to each other during the installation process, or indeed otherwise. Such interlocking of contiguous ceiling panels would both facilitate the installation process and would also enhance the structural integrity of the installed metal ceiling panel matrix grid.
The manual dexterity necessary to install ceiling panels overhead is tremendous; not only does the installer need to assure proper alignment of each panel, but that installer must simultaneously also hold and support the panel in an overhead position while handling nails and a hammer.
An objective of the present invention is to solve the aforesaid problems.